The weather is getting warmer, the days are getting longer, and Westford Academy spring sports are underway. WA Girls’ Tennis (WAGT) has high hopes for their 2024 season and are looking to make WA history at their brand-new home courts at Robinson School.
WAGT is coming off a successful season last year, making it to the quarterfinals in the State Championship, and finishing with a winning record of 11-5.
WAGT has a strong team this season with a handful of skillful players from last year, as well as some underclassmen who have shown great potential.
“I believe that we will have an even better outcome this year with the addition of many talented new players to strengthen our already well-rounded team,” junior captain Emily Wang said. “We are hoping to make it even further in the State Championships this year, which I believe is a highly achievable goal.”
Along with advancing past the quarterfinals this season, Wang shares that another goal of hers is to have a good team dynamic. In order to have the successful season WAGT strives for, all of the girls need to support each other.
“As a captain, I expect my players to be friendly with each other and exhibit good team spirit,” Wang said. “I also want to help everyone try their best this season, continuing to persist past any goals, and not to count themselves out.”
One way the girls bond throughout the season is hosting spags. Outside of games and practices, the girls want to build as strong of a connection with one another as possible. A tradition that WAGT does is spending a day at a beach house in New Hampshire about midway through the season. This trip allows the team to spend time with each other and take a break from the difficult season they are in the midst of.
“For this year’s tennis season, we hope to create an uplifting environment where we constantly motivate and challenge ourselves as well as others,” sophomore Haasini Sriraman said. “While winning against our opponents is one of the main goals, the team should be able to support their teammates.”
For WAGT, the beginning of the season is usually the most challenging. It is hard to adjust to the competitive atmosphere in the beginning of the season, but once the girls adapt to the pressure of the matches, they are able to thrive.
“As a team, I think one of the biggest challenges is to maintain a consistent performance during high-pressure matches,” Sriraman said. “Stress is definitely inevitable when it comes to any game, but managing emotions and trying to boost morale can be difficult sometimes. However, I do believe that our team does a great job at trying to help one another.”
Persistence, hard work, and motivation are all values the girls need to achieve the successful season they strive to have. Their main goal for the tennis season is to advance far in the State Championship while building friendships along the way.
“For the whole team, we’re hoping to attain a better overall record as well as make a good run in the State Championship, all while building and maintaining strong friendships between our teammates,” Wang said. “We want to be able to make a memorable name for Westford Academy as the Girls’ Tennis Team.”
